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The U.S. manufacturing industry contributed $2.3 trillion to the national GDP in 2022. These businesses not only support society’s growth but also are poised to have the greatest impact on solving sustainability problems. By embracing innovative digital technologies to boost efficiency, industrial enterprises can meet market needs while also conserving energy and safeguarding people and the natural environment.

It’s why companies like sugar producers, detergent makers and water providers are adopting technologies to become more sustainable as they also race to modernize.

And in 2023, U.S. lawmakers signed new legislation that could do a lot to ignite those transformations. By prioritizing funding, tax incentives, reshoring, new jobs and clean energy, for example, the laws aim to promote industry growth while advancing sustainability.

For Heather Cykoski, senior vice president of industrial automation at the industrial tech company Schneider Electric, combating climate change isn’t just a personal vision. “It’s a corporate responsibility,” she says. “Industrial businesses need innovation at their fingertips, and we have to ensure it’s driving us toward a greater world.”

Constant innovation is how 180-year-old Schneider Electric evolved from a major player in steel and machinery to an industry champion of digital—and environmental—change. Today, Schneider Electric is both a practitioner and provider of digitally driven sustainability. Recognized as a corporate leader in sustainability worldwide, it provides cutting-edge, integrated solutions to help industrial businesses digitize and automate operations to be more secure, reliable, sustainable and profitable.

Below, learn how Schneider Electric helps partners apply its sustainability strategy—which combines technology, people and processes—to cultivate a healthier planet.

Tapping Into Tech To Cut Emissions

“Sustainability is at the core for us and our customers,” says Cykoski. “We’re providing the technology, the data and the software that can help reduce energy consumption and waste.”

To offset the environmental costs of their factories and facilities, says Cykoski, industrial businesses need to reduce consumption, lower their carbon footprint and embrace a more circular economy—one that’s based on using and recycling existing resources.

But the idea of achieving these goals while pursuing digital transformation can overwhelm leaders who might view sustainability as counter to profitability, she says. In reality, the efforts work in tandem: The digitization and automation that transform a company’s operations make it more sustainable, too.

Take a 65-year-old factory in Lexington, Kentucky: In 2017, Schneider Electric launched a program to transform it into a smart factory with next-gen automation and digital integration across its many disparate operations, teams and systems.

With the EcoStruxure Platform—an IoT-enabled, open platform that serves as the secure backbone for Schneider Electric’s solutions—and the AVEVA System Platform for standardized data management and analytics, the factory streamlined power distribution, building management systems, industrial automation equipment and edge IT deployments across the entire facility for the first time.

This connectivity delivers expansive visibility of day-to-day operations, helping factory employees track metrics like energy use and power quality to ensure the entire ecosystem is accountable to its environmental benchmarks. Cykoski says the factory’s success—which includes a 4.4% reduction in carbon emissions year over year—shows that older plants can retrofit while also contributing to climate progress.

The factory was deemed a sustainability “Lighthouse” in 2017—an honor given to only three manufacturing leaders in the world at that time—and six factories within Schneider Electric’s global manufacturing network have achieved “Global Lighthouse” recognition since.

Schneider Electric benefits from its own tools, too. Drawing from AVEVA’s real-time analysis on trends, processes and profitability, for instance, the company automated its paint line production and reduced electrical demand by 30%.

“We’ve proven in our own smart factories and with our customers that sustainability and profit go hand in hand,” Cykoski says. “You’ll make your shareholders happy by adopting sustainability practices because you’re using less energy, reducing waste and seeing cost savings by being more efficient.”

How People And Processes Power Sustainability

To complement digital solutions, businesses also need to upskill staff and reimagine outdated processes. “It’s not just software and machines—it’s that combination of tech and humans,” says Cykoski. “Digital transformation is about culture and empowering the workforce to manage and improve tools and processes.”

This starts by showing employees how operational enhancements like automating workflows away from spreadsheets and paper-and-pencil tracking, for example, can enrich day-to-day business.

Companies should train teams to move on from legacy equipment and siloed systems, says Cykoski, and instead embrace the standardized architectures and automation that augment everyone’s performance.

From there, generating buy-in from both leaders and rank-and-file employees is what’s required to advance beyond the status quo and ensure that sustainability is genuinely valued by every employee.

How Industrial Businesses Are Cutting Emissions And Costs

Using its sustainability approach that prioritizes technology, people and processes, Schneider Electric partners with customers from a variety of sub-industries across the globe—helping them digitize while improving environmental impact.

A large water services provider worked to monitor and optimize its entire water supply system with automation and IoT-enabled technology designed to help operators control water cycles in facilities like water treatment plants and sanitation networks. Since adopting the solution, the company cut water losses to almost half the national average and observed a 20% improvement in operational efficiency.

A consumer goods and chemicals company partnered with Schneider to conserve resources during the production of its laundry detergent, which included solving how to optimize the energy-intensive spray-drying process. With a control system delivering integrated process visualization, the company was able to automate the process and boost energy efficiency by up to 5%.

And in the food and beverage space, where mere minutes of cleaning downtime can threaten revenue gains, software that digitalizes quality management and improves traceability with real-time data analytics helps companies harness insights on operational trends to streamline cleaning and minimize costs. One leading bottled water company, for example, reduced downtime by 20% and used 50% less CO2 after adopting the solution.

A Vision For Industrial Sustainability

Cykoski hopes other industrial businesses are inspired by progress so far and advises them to partner with a leader like Schneider Electric, whose new industrial digital transformation consulting service helps businesses deploy the automation, electrification and digitization solutions required for sustainable digital transformation.

It’s tough, urgent work that has to be done collectively, Cykoski says. “We’ve got a long journey ahead of us, and no one company can solve industrial sustainability on its own. It’s important to work with partners that share the same goals so we can all do it together.”

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To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: How Schneider Electric Uses Industrial Technology And Automation To Advance Efficiency And Reduce Environmental Impact

Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, today announced that it has committed to invest in a portfolio of Texas-based clean energy projects utilizing a Tax Credit Transfer Agreement (TCTA) for solar and battery storage systems developed, built, and operated by ENGIE North America (ENGIE).

The contracted projects are expected to come online throughout 2024 and will enable Schneider Electric to get closer to its 100% renewable energy goal in the U.S. and Canada.

The agreement between ENGIE, a leader in the net-zero energy transition, and Schneider is among the first at this scale to take advantage of new tax credit transfer provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that will help companies meet their renewable energy goals.

“Schneider Electric is committed to achieving net-zero emissions across our operations by 2030. This new solar-plus-storage agreement for the U.S. and Canada with ENGIE, a leading developer of renewables, will help us reach that goal,” said Aamir Paul, President, North America Operations. “The IRA opens the door for innovative projects through its transferability clause, and expands the range of entities that can benefit from tax credits in meeting decarbonization objectives. Schneider Electric is a leader in sustainability, efficiency, and the energy transition, and we are proud to ‘model the way’ with this tax credit transfer.” 

The IRA’s transferability clause enables the transfer of eligible federal tax credits from renewable energy, clean energy manufacturing, and battery storage projects, among other clean energy projects. This new feature creates a feasible alternative to traditional tax equity structures. Tax credit transfer also enables Schneider’s Scope 2 decarbonization when the investor-buyer procures associated environmental attributes as part of the transaction.

This is not the first collaboration between Schneider Electric and ENGIE. Since 2017, the two companies have joined forces on multiple projects, and have led clients through their procurement of renewable energy via virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) that exceed 1.6GW in total in North America alone. ENGIE’s investment and innovation in renewables have resulted in the company being named the leading developer of corporate energy PPAs in 2023 by BloombergNEF in its latest Market Outlook report and being ranked in the top three since 2019. ENGIE’s total corporate PPA portfolio in North America exceeds 6.5GW.

“This collaboration with Schneider signals a real step forward in accelerating the net-zero transition. The solar-plus-storage portfolio, coupled with the innovative tax credit transfer structures enabled by the IRA, helps expand the opportunities for an increasing set of corporate clients to meet their goals,” said Dave Carroll, Chief Renewables Officer and SVP, ENGIE North America. “This approach supports the continued growth of renewable energy and storage options in the U.S., which brings economic opportunities to an expanding set of communities alongside the transition to a lower-carbon grid.”

“Schneider Electric’s North American renewable energy goal is commendable, and its advancement in accelerating its efforts. Schneider’s work demonstrates both the power of collaboration with essential partners in the energy industry and the innovation necessary to progress actionable solutions in our nation’s journey toward net zero,” said Sheri Givens, President and CEO, Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA). “SEPA values its members’ efforts in the clean energy transition, and Schneider’s leadership serves as an example of those companies at the forefront.”

According to Bloomberg (BNEF), the IRA’s tax credit transfer rules create a new set of possibilities for funding America’s energy transition. Most intriguing is the market for tax credits, which could greatly streamline the process of getting money to where it is most needed and is a step towards maturity as market participants discover together operating models that can scale.

Schneider Electric Tax Credit Investment Service

Schneider Electric was advised on the deal by consultants from its Sustainability Business, the world’s largest advisor on corporate renewable energy procurement. Schneider provides these consulting services on tax credit transfers to clients to help them take advantage of the innovative opportunities created by the IRA. It is estimated by Credit Suisse that nearly $1 trillion could be unlocked over the next ten years thanks to public and private spending mobilized by the IRA in climate and energy-related investments.

The tax credit transfer opportunities structured by Schneider Electric’s advisory team allow companies to simultaneously reduce Scope 2 emissions, capture favorable risk-adjusted returns on investment, demonstrate environmental leadership, and accelerate progress toward decarbonization goals. This requires an understanding of complex regulations, market uncertainty, energy and environmental attribute markets, and technology maturity curves. With its 20+ years of renewable energy advisory experience, Schneider Electric is uniquely equipped to guide enterprises through the complexities of the new tax credit investment landscape.

Leveraging the IRA for both private and public sector

The IRA has proven to be significant for Schneider Electric’s customers in the private, public, and residential sectors. The company has seen increasing demand for offsite and onsite renewable energy solutions and microgrid technologies using IRA-provided benefits, and growth in its residential consumer market in addition to corporate tax credit opportunities.

Schneider’s Sustainability Business is also helping its U.S. public sector clients – predominantly schools and municipalities – to utilize IRA provisions to procure electric vehicles like school buses and emergency response vehicles and to implement onsite solar, providing tax relief to economically-disadvantaged public entities across the country.

About Schneider Electric 

Schneider’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On.

Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency.

We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries.

We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values.

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Contact Person: Media Relations
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To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Schneider Electric Announces Innovative Tax Credit Transfer Agreement with ENGIE to Accelerate Progress Toward its 100% Renewable Energy Goal in North America

Schneider Electric on Thursday announced plans to invest $140 million in its U.S. manufacturing operations and create about 750 new manufacturing jobs across the country in 2024.

The company will invest $85 million initially to transform and equip an existing 500,000-square-foot building in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, and upgrade its existing Smyrna, Tennessee, manufacturing operations. Both locations will manufacture custom electrical switchgear and medium voltage power distribution products to bolster support for critical infrastructure, industries, and the escalating demand for data center solutions across the U.S.

The new plant in Mt. Juliet is expected to begin manufacturing and shipping products to Schneider’s customers by mid-2024 and is expected to be fully operational in 2025. The two plants will also incorporate advanced manufacturing technologies and software to improve operational performance, achieve energy savings, and reduce carbon footprint, among other benefits.

The company also said it will recruit and employ an additional 455 manufacturing workers across both locations. Roles will range from manufacturing technicians and engineers to test technicians and quality leads, among other manufacturing-related positions.    

“The need for electrical infrastructure to support advanced computing and technological progress has never been greater,” said Aamir Paul, President, North America Operations, Schneider Electric. “These investments will also support implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act by strengthening domestic supply of products critical to boost America’s electrification transformation. They will also further position Schneider Electric as a driving force behind this country’s clean energy transition.”

Demand for Schneider’s energy efficient solutions and sustainability solutions continues to surge, which the company indicated during its full year 2023 financial results announced last month. The company said its U.S. growth was ‘a function of continued strong demand across its infrastructure and data center end-markets,’ the latter due in large part to the growth of artificial intelligence.

The Tennessee investment is part of Schneider Electric’s commitment to strengthen its American manufacturing presence and create new jobs. Since 2020, Schneider Electric has invested more than $440 million across its American manufacturing network, including constructing its newest 160,000 square foot smart manufacturing plant in El Paso, Texas that opened in the summer of 2023.

The company, a leader enabling smart factory transformation, has also upgraded and automated some of its own manufacturing and distribution center facilities in Lexington, Kentucky; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Mechanicsburg and Middletown, Pennsylvania. The investments enable Schneider to streamline its production and order fulfillment processes, stay competitive and agile, and bolster its domestic supply chain capabilities.

Schneider Electric has had a presence in the U.S for 135 years. The company employs more than 19,000 workers in the country and its products and solutions can be found in four of 10 U.S. homes, 40 percent of the world’s hospitals, and in water and wastewater installations in 150 countries.  

In 2023, TIME magazine named Schneider Electric to its 100 Most Influential Companies list recognizing it for work done to help clients reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The company is also ranked among the Top 10 of the 2023 Best Workplaces in Manufacturing & Production by the Great Place to Work U.S. organization and Fortune magazine.

About Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On.

Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency.

We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, endpoint to cloud connecting products, controls, software, and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure, and industries.

We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values.

Media Contact
Company Name: ABC Private Limited
Contact Person: Media Relations
Email: Send Email
Country: India
Website: https://www.se.com/in/en/

Press Release Distributed by ABNewswire.com

To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Schneider Electric to Invest $140M in U.S. Manufacturing

Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, today announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to optimize data center infrastructure and pave the way for groundbreaking advancements in edge artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twin technologies.

Schneider Electric will leverage its expertise in data center infrastructure and NVIDIA’s advanced AI technologies to introduce the first publicly available AI data center reference designs. These designs are set to redefine the benchmarks for AI deployment and operation within data center ecosystems, marking a significant milestone in the industry’s evolution.

With AI applications gaining traction across industries, while also demanding more resources than traditional computing, the need for processing power has surged exponentially. The rise of AI has spurred notable transformations and complexities in data center design and operation, with data center operators working to swiftly construct and operate energy-stable facilities that are both energy-efficient and scalable.

“We’re unlocking the future of AI for organizations,” said Pankaj Sharma, Executive Vice President, Secure Power Division & Data Center Business, Schneider Electric. “By combining our expertise in data center solutions with NVIDIA’s leadership in AI technologies, we’re helping organizations to overcome data center infrastructure limitations and unlock the full potential of AI. Our collaboration with NVIDIA paves the way for a more efficient, sustainable, and transformative future, powered by AI.”  

Cutting-Edge Data Center Reference Designs

In the first phase of this collaboration, Schneider Electric will introduce cutting-edge data center reference designs tailored for NVIDIA accelerated computing clusters and built for data processing, engineering simulation, electronic design automation, computer-aided drug design, and generative AI. Special focus will be on enabling high-power distribution, liquid-cooling systems, and controls designed to ensure simple commissioning and reliable operations for the extreme-density cluster. Through the collaboration, Schneider Electric aims to provide data center owners and operators with the tools and resources necessary to seamlessly integrate new and evolving AI solutions into their infrastructure, enhancing deployment efficiency, and ensuring reliable life-cycle operation.

Addressing the evolving demands of AI workloads, the reference designs will offer a robust framework for implementing NVIDIA’s accelerated computing platform within data centers, while optimizing performance, scalability, and overall sustainability. Partners, engineers, and data center leaders can utilize these reference designs for existing data center rooms that must support new deployments of high-density AI servers and new data center builds that are fully optimized for a liquid-cooled AI cluster.

“Through our collaboration with Schneider Electric, we’re providing AI data center reference designs using next-generation NVIDIA accelerated computing technologies,” said Ian Buck, Vice President of Hyperscale and HPC at NVIDIA. “This provides organizations with the necessary infrastructure to tap into the potential of AI, driving innovation and digital transformation across industries.”

Future Roadmap

In addition to the data center reference designs, AVEVA, a subsidiary of Schneider Electric, will connect its digital twin platform to NVIDIA Omniverse, delivering a unified environment for virtual simulation and collaboration. This integration will enable seamless collaboration between designers, engineers, and stakeholders, accelerating the design and deployment of complex systems, while helping reduce time-to-market and costs.

“NVIDIA technologies enhance AVEVA’s capabilities in creating a realistic and immersive collaboration experience underpinned by the rich data and capabilities of the AVEVA intelligent digital twin,” said Caspar Herzberg, CEO of AVEVA. “Together, we are creating a fully simulated industrial virtual reality where you can simulate processes, model outcomes, and effect change in reality. This merging of digital intelligence and real-world outcomes has the potential to transform how industries can operate more safely, more efficiently and more sustainably.”

In collaboration with NVIDIA, Schneider Electric plans to explore new use cases and applications across industries and further its vision of driving positive change and shaping the future of technology.

More information will be available at Schneider Electric’s Innovation Summit Paris on April 3.

About Schneider Electric

Schneider’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On.

Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency.

We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries.

We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values.

Media Contact
Company Name: ABC Private Limited
Contact Person: Media Relations
Email: Send Email
Country: India
Website: https://www.se.com/in/en/

Press Release Distributed by ABNewswire.com

To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Schneider Electric Collaborates with NVIDIA on Designs for AI Data Centers